This tutorial is my own creation. Please do not copy it, or the graphics to another web site. Do not link to it directly. Email me with any questions. The finished creation made by you after completing this tutorial is yours! Have fun!!

This tutorial was made using JASC Paint Shop Pro 7.04. A basic knowledge of the tools in PSP is presumed and since it is my first tutorial, please bear with me, and let me know where I goof up!

This tutorial will be for a Daffodil facing straight on, but I will give tips to create the side views also.

Ok ....here we go and...remember to save often!

#1. Open a New Image 500 by 500 pixels, Transparent.

#2. On the Syles Palette, set both the Stroke (foreground) and Fill (background) color to a pale yellow. I used #F1E6AD.

#3. We are going to draw one petal. You can do this in either of two ways, #1, using the Preset Shapes Tool set to Elipse, or Teardrop, Antialias, Create as Vector checked, Line Width 1, and then Node Edit afterwards to make a shape like this one below. ....OR, #2, (now do not gasp too loudly)..Freehand. YES, I said Freehand ,and you can do it!! Bear with me and give it a try. This one is not that hard. Set the Draw Tool to Freehand, Antialias, Create as Vector unchecked, Line Width 4, Curving Track 5, Join Round. I also use my Draw Tool with Use Precise Cursers and Brush Outlines checked. You can find these settings and the Curving Track and Join if you click on the second and third tabs of the Draw Tool. Here is what we want the shape to look like. It just has to be a round shape with a point. I think it is easier to start at the point, go out a bit, make a big circle and come back to the point. But try any direction that is comfortable. Remember to keep pressure on the mouse!! If you let go he runs away and goes crazy. But the great Undo option allows you to try again! The shape actually looks better if the large part is a bit lopsided.

#4 OK....got that done....Super!! If you used Vectors, Convert to Raster. With the Selection Tool set on Rectangle, Antialias, Feather 0, make a rectangle all around the petal shape and click in the middle, to get those wonderful marching ants. Go to Effects/3D/Cutout and use the following settings- Verticle -1, Horizontal -1, Opacity 85, Blur 25. and for the color, a mustard color. I used #BB9435. Deselect.

#5. We need six of these petals to make a Daffodil. Each one should be on it's own layer! You can draw five more using the Freehand or Vector methods, or you can just Duplicate this layer five times, and do Image Mirror with some, and swing them with the Deformation Tool to make a circle.

#6. Now for the center. We will add shade to everything later. Add a New Layer, and call it Center. Set the Foreground color to an orange or red or pink. I used a soft orange #E9995A. Set the Background color to the pale yellow that we drew the petals with. With the Draw Tool set to Freehand, (come on...you can do it!).....Line width 4. Antialias, Create as Vector unchecked, draw a scalloped circle around the inner ends of the petals. Be sure to stay over the petals so the hole in the middle will be filled in. OR,You can Node Edit an Elipse shape if you would rather do it that way, and Convert to Raster..

#7. Now, we'll add some shading and depth to the center. Add a New Layer. Set the Foreground and Background colors to a tan color. I used D4B380. With the Freehand Draw tool set back to Width1, draw a small tan circle in the middle of the center. (or Node Edit an Elipse shape again, if you use that method, and Convert to Raster). Go to Effects/Blur/Gausian Blur 1.50. Merge this layer with the center layer and rename it Center.

#8. With the Selection Tool, set to Rectangle, select the center, and click on it once to get the marching ants. With the Smudge Tool, set to Size 10, Hardness 40, Opacity 65, Step 25, Density 65 pull outward on the tan spot, and inward on the orange edge to get a streaked look, as below. Deselect, and add five orange (or your color) dots in the center, with the Line Width at 4.

#9. Hide the center layer, and we will shade the petals. We will use the Airbrush and Gausian Blur. You can do the shading a couple of ways. I like to use the longer method of selecting each petal separately with the marching ants, so I don't go over the edges..If you are careful, you can Merge all the petal layers and add a New Layer for each type of the shading. That is a quick way to do it, and the way I did it in the picture below. Here is what I usually do, however. Select one petal layer so that it has marching ants. Add a New Layer. Call this layer Shading. Set the Foreground color to a dark yellow #EFD87B or even darker #EBC645 and the Background to Null. Set the airbrush to Round, Size about 20, Hardness 40, Opacity 40, Step 15, Desity 40. Spray a few lines near the wide end of the petal. Then go to Effects/Blur/Gausian Blur 4. Add a New Layer and change the Foreground color to the tan we used earlier. Change the Airbrush size to 5, and spray a few lines on the petal here and there. Go to GB again this time about 2.50. If you want a bit of lighter highlight near the edge, add a New Layer, set the Foreground color to F4EED0 and spray a little line just inside the cutout shadow with line size about 8. Then GB again set at 3.

#10. If you want to change a shading layer just delete it, add a New Layer and try again. When everything looks OK to you, make the center visable, and copy this center layer to a New Image if you want to make side view Daffodils. (SeeTIP below) and then Merge All Visable. You can use the Smudge Tool to blend any areas you wish to.

OK that's it for the flower, now we can add some leaves. You can Copy as a New Image and Tube the flower now, too.

#11. Open a new image 500 by 500 pixels, Transparent. I think it is easier to make the leaves separately and combine them with the flower later.

#12. On the Styles Palette set the Foreground and Background colors to a medium green. I used #7AB07D. Follow the directions in #3 for the flower except if you wish to Node Edit a Vector use the Rounded Rectangle, Teardrop,or Elipse shape, and when done Convert to Raster. I did mine Freehand with the same Draw Tool settings as in #3. Do a shape something like this. It really doesn't matter if it is a bit lumpy, just as long as it looks like a string bean. Everything in nature has and lumps, so don't worry too much. I draw from bottom to top, and then down to my my starting point. Keep pressure on the mouse!

HERE'S A TIP: if your freehand drawing is almost OK, and you don't want to Undo and start over. but want to change it a bit. You can fill in on the same layer, by drawing over part of the shape again. Let's say there's a bit of jaggy along a small part of one edge. Start at the top of the jaggy part with line width about 4 to 10. Go until you have covered it, then swing into the shape and back toward your starting point. You don't need to be fussy at all about this swinging back to your starting point as long as you stay over the original green. It will just become part of the original color, You can Undo this small Draw and try again, if you do not like it, without Undoing the entire shape. (Clear as mud..??)

#13. Next Select the leaf with the Selection tool set on Rectangle as we did with the petal, and click on the leaf to get marching ants. Use the same Effects/3D/Cutout settings as before in #4 above: -1, -1, 85, and 25, but change the color to black. Deselect.

#14. If you want a highlight, add a New Layer, and call it Shading. Set the Foreground color to #F4EED0, as we did for the petal edge. Set the Airbrush Tool to size 8, and leave the other settings as we had them for the petals. Spray a line down the leaf and then go to Effects/Blur/Gausian Blur 6. Merge Visable. The leaf should look something like the one below.

#15. Now would be a good time to add your flower to this Image as a New Layer. Edit/Copy, Edit/Paste as New Layer. Keep the flower as the top layer. Then to make more leaves, you can Duplicate the leaf layer and Image Mirror, OR be brave LOL, and make another green leaf, the same way. Keep each leaf on a separate layer until you are happy with them all. Also you can use the Deformation Tool to stretch or shrink some of your leaves a bit to make them look different. After Deforming quite a lot, see if you need to go to Effects/Sharpen/Sharpen. Make a stem if you wish using the same methods to look something like this. Daffys have a round bulb behind the flower. Mine is pointed, but the points won't show, so I didn't care.

#16. Add some more flowers from your Tube if you wish to make a bouquet. (I tube everything separately! Leaves, stems, flowers you name it....then they can be used to make new arrangements.) When you are happy with your creation, Merge Visable. And Tube your creation to make a "Host of Heavenly Daffodils".

These leaves were done Freehand.

These leaves were done using the Rounded Rectangle shape and Node Editing.

HERE'S A TIP: for doing the side view of the flowers. . BEFORE you Merge Visable, Copy the center layer as a New Layer, or as a New Image. I used the Deformation Tool to make new centers. Squish them up! That's all. Copy your petal or petals also and use the Deformation tool if you want to. You may need to go to Effects/Sharpen/Sharpen if you deform very much. Make the trumpet part of the flower either with a Vector Rectangle Node Edited, OR LOL Freehand, using the same settings as for the petals.

Graphics and content copyright Taiga Designs 2002

All rights reserved.

ANOTHER TIP: You can cut off little chunks using the Lasso Selection Tool set on Freehand, Feather 0. Start at the top of the bit you want to cut off, go until you have enough covered with the selection line, then swing out and away from your shape and back to the starting point. Then hit the Scissors Tool. You can Undo and try again.